Cheers
by Baxley McTedders
Summary: McNally throws Gail and Holly a surprise party. Fun ensues.
1. Surprise!

There are times in life when one is content. Contentedness is awesome. Really, it is. Gail Peck had struggled to reach that point so many times in her life. She'd achieve it. Then she'd lose the battle…again. But, those glorious moments of contentment were indeed…well, glorious.

Then came Holly Stewart.

Weird, nerdy, sarcastic, happy, brilliant, lovable Holly Stewart.

It almost annoyed Gail that so many positive attributes could describe one person. It's too much, and that's why Gail was suspicious at first. She was almost sure that Holly was a pod person for a while. Because with Gail, if it seemed to good to be true, it definitely was. So Gail did what every cop would do in that situation, she dug and poked and was hyper aware. She waited patiently for the other shoe to drop. And, of course, it did. Then she used those shoes to march out of Holly's life for, oh, around twenty minutes.

It was longer, but Gail didn't really like to reflect on that particular time.

She did that thing that Gail does and took a flying cat-like leap out of the relationship tree.

Cats are supposed to land on their feet.

She didn't.

Whatever. All that is behind her now, anyway.

Behind them, actually.

She watched the buildings of downtown Toronto pass by as she relaxed in the passenger seat until she realized that they were going by too quickly.

"You're driving way too fast," Gail broke the silence of the last few minutes.

"Uh huh."

"I'm serious."

"You say that every time I drive, Gail."

"It's true every time."

Holly was a speeder. A tiny little chink in the armor that was Holly Stewart.

Gail had found a few over the last couple of years. Strangely enough, though, Gail had learned to love them. She cherished every little imperfection.

She had come to expect that Holly would fall asleep with a giant book tucked somewhere between their sheets, so she made sure to check if she was working the late shift. Rolling over a medical journal at 2 in the morning is not all it's cracked up to be.

Gail knew if Holly was in charge of dinner, it would be takeout. She knew if they both needed to get ready at the same time, they'd better shower together because Holly took forever in the bathroom. She knew if she didn't check in, Holly would worry…and not just regular worry. She'd assume the worst because she saw it everyday.

She learned that Holly's taste in friends kinda sucked, except for herself, of course. But, they aren't exactly friends, either.

All these things just became routine eventually. Normal, even. It was a surprise to Gail when she realized she wasn't really bothered by any of that trivial crap. She just loved Holly, no matter what.

Then came the biggest surprise. There was actually something beyond content. Something bigger than mere satisfaction, too. It was like…joy or something. Whatever it was when she was with Holly was happiness turned up a notch. Sure, she had loved before. This, though, this was _in love_ kinda voodoo magic stuff. It was love with the intensity of a high speed chase through downtown traffic. It was elation like knee in the back, cuffing some scumbag. Getting Holly was even better than catching a mafia druglord. She would know because she helped take one down.

And…she should really quit relating all of her feelings about Holly with busting criminals. Not her fault, though. Gail is a Peck, after all.

"What are you thinking about over there?"

Gail glanced over. "Oh, nothing," she replied.

"Hm," Holly wasn't convinced. "You're smiling and it's freaking me out."

"Was I?" Gail asked, knowing that she was. She could still feel in face etched in that position.

"Yep," Holly said as she flicked on her blinker and turned into a parking lot.

"Mostly you," Gail replied honestly. She waited for Holly's shy grin before adding, "and about arresting people."

Holly's grin fell. "Arresting me?"

"No," Gail answered. "You…and arresting people. Two separate things."

Holly pulled into a parking space before asking, "At the same time?"

"I can multi-task."

Holly reached over the pinch the inside of Gail's thigh. "That you can, babe. That you can."

Gail leaned halfway over the console in the car. "I'm very good at it."

"Mhmm," Holly agreed, not moving.

Gail made up just a bit more space. "Uh huh."

"I'm not arguing."

"Why would you?" Gail asked. She grabbed and tugged on Holly's hand to get her closer, but Holly wouldn't budge. "What?"

"What if I said that I was thinking about you and dead bodies at the same time?"

"I'd hide all the kitchen knives," Gail answered immediately.

Holly rolled her eyes before giving in and giving Gail a quick kiss. "There."

"C'mon!" Gail complained. "That sucked. Give me the goods, lady."

"Peck peck." Holly giggled.

For some reason Holly thought it was hilarious to do that and then say "Peck peck." All it really proved was that Gail was right. The chick was a total nerd face.

"After." Holly pointed to the building that housed _The Black Penny_. It was the finest drinking establishment this side of nowhere, but it's where the cops gathered. So, here they were.

"Alright then." Gail put her game face on. "Let's do this quickly then."

"Sure," Holly chuckled.

"Really," Gail poked her. "I'm serious. Just a couple drinks. They'll see us. We'll say hi. Then, we're out."

"I don't really get why it was so important that we showed up tonight," Holly said.

Gail shrugged. "I don't know. McNally kept complaining that we haven't all hung out at the Penny in forever. And blah, blah, blah we needed a break from all the intense planning. Blah."

"Ye-ah," she said as her phone chimed. "I've gotten eighteen texts from her in the last few weeks about getting together." She picked up her phone and showed Gail the newest message. "Including this one."

Gail read it. "Pushy bitch, isn't she?"

"Just two weeks," Holly reminded Gail with a wink. "Then you'll have a nice, long vacation. No pushy bitches, except me, to deal with."

Gail grinned at the thought. "It cannot come fast enough."

Holly reached across the space and ran her finger down Gail's jawline. "I'm so, _so_ ready."

As the two strolled up to the doors of their friendly, neighborhood cop bar, Gail suddenly sensed something was amiss. It was unusually quiet on the exterior. She glanced around seeing plenty of cars. Most of which she recognized belonging to her friends. She stopped short suddenly, causing Holly, who was close enough to have her fingers tucked into Gail's back pocket, to run into her.

"What?" Holly asked when she noticed Gail wasn't moving.

"Something's weird."

"You're weird."

"That, too," Gail agreed. "But something else."

"Is this a cop thing or a Gail thing?" Holly inquired. There was a difference, after all.

Gail pursed her lips, "A weird thing."

She automatically tucked Holly behind her out of sheer instinct as she reached for the door to the Penny.

When she opened it, she was floored.

She saw the banner before hearing the word, "Surprise!" but she was still fairly stunned by the fact that most of the people in her life were jammed into this small space yelling and throwing glittery confetti on her.

Actually, that was just Price.

Gail's first thought was 'Get out! Save Yourself!' And God help her, she tried. Holly was having none of it, though, and grasped her hand tighter.

"Did you know about this?" Gail asked her when her juke move out the door didn't work.

"No," Holly shook her head, still trying to account for who was gathered before them. "I had no idea."

Gail could tell she was being truthful. Her lie detector wasn't pinging.

"Guess a couple drinks and out isn't going to work," Holly said with a smirk. She physically turned Gail back toward the party in their honor. "If I'm doing this, you're doing it with me, honey."

The first face Gail saw was McNally. Andy was cheesing so hard, she couldn't see around her anyway.

"Are you surprised?" Andy asked. "You're surprised, I can tell."

"What?" Gail looked around. "How? Why?"

"It's your bachelorette party," Andy said. "Duh!" She passed them both the beers she had in her hand. "You've got a table over there."

Gail looked around a second, before Holly pointed. "Must be the one with the two bride cake toppers floating in that pitcher."

"That's the one!" McNally pumped her fist.

After being reluctantly placed at their table, Gail leaned into her fiancée. "Who throws surprise bachelorette parties?"

"Your friends." Holly said as she took in the sights.

There seemed to be several themes littered throughout. Chloe was not only throwing glitter confetti, she had obviously made the glitter banner as well. Oliver was wearing a New Years headpiece as he milled around by the dartboard with a few other high rankers. McNally was passing out beers while Dov seemed to be passing out boobie cupcakes.

That definitely caught Holly's attention and she motioned for Dov to bring her one. She was delighted when she discovered that they were indeed cupcakes that were iced to resemble boobs. "Look, babe. The nipples are cherry sours!" she told Gail excitedly.

"I see that," Gail nodded accepting the candy that Holly popped into her mouth. She chewed it slowly. "I am surprised," Gail admitted to Holly reluctantly. This completely flew under her precise cop radar. "How the fuck did this happen?"


	2. Chris

Gail was still trying to figure it out when Chris pulled up a chair and dropped a very neatly wrapped gift on the table.

"Congratulations!"

"Aww, Chris," Holly smiled genuinely. "You didn't have to do that."

He gave them that boyish shrug that Gail always secretly found endearing. "I wanted to. Except, I didn't really know what to get. Dov said the most popular bachelorette gifts are the kinky ones…so..."

Gail eyed the box. "Okay," she said warily. "You don't have a stripper stuffed in there do you?"

"Nope," he answered.

"Would only be enough room for the stripper's head," Holly told them in her scientific voice.

"True," Gail said, sizing it up. "Did you get us a stripper's head, Diaz? That's sick."

"I promise, it's not a stripper's head," Chris said. He pushed it a bit closer to the women, "Just open it."

"Hols," Gail said as she gestured to it. "Go ahead, do the honors."

"Nah," Holly refused. "You can."

"The stripper's head will freak you out less," Gail acknowledged. "You should do it."

"It's furry handcuffs," Chris said bluntly when neither Gail nor Holly made another move. "The pink kind with the really soft padding. Doesn't hurt as bad."

Holly nodded, looking more interested now. "Cool! Gail broke our last pair," she told him. "Thanks, Chris."

Chris looked to Gail and she could tell that he wanted to ask about a million questions about that, so she shut it down. "They got caught in the vacuum."

"Huh?" The man eyebrows furrowed. "How-"

"They just did," Gail said with enough force to make him cower.

"Were they on at the time?"

"That's a big box for handcuffs," Holly commented, steering the conversation away.

"There's also a lava lamp."

"Oh," Holly smiled and slowly turned to Gail. "It's a lava lamp."

"Mood lighting," Chris shrugged as if the two of them should have been all over that.

McNally stopped whatever smart ass comment that was on the tip of Gail's tongue by grabbing Chris by the shoulders and shouting, "You're up, Diaz!"

Chris groaned, but stood up anyway. He just sort of glanced helplessly for a few seconds before McNally shouted over the crowd to quiet down.

"I guess I get to go first," Chris said as he awkwardly as people tuned into him. "Congratulations, Gail and Holly," he lifted a bottle that Andy shoved into his hand.

A round of applause erupted in the bar.

Holly blushed at all the attention and buried her face in Gail's shoulder.

Gail grinned at all the people celebrating her impending union. "Wow," she mumbled to herself.

"Lots of love for you," Holly whispered near her ear.

"For us," Gail said. "Us."

Chris shushed the crowd after a minute. "We arranged this little get-together because we love you guys so much. We've, all of us, here at 15 have become a family over the years. You two have helped us celebrate so many moments in our lives and we felt this occasion needed to be marked in a big way. You two deserve all the happiness you've found in each other. So, we're all toasting you…maybe a little roasting as well. McNally thought is would be really funny and great and embarrassing if we all shared a story about you two-"

"You're an asshole, McNally!" Gail said loud enough for everyone to hear, which drew some chuckles.

"I knew you'd be into it," Chris laughed along. "Anyway, after a lot of thinking, I think I have to go with one from way back. I'll never forget it, even though it was a couple years ago now, but a few of us were playing trivia. You remember that, Dov?"

"Still the champ," Dov answered from the crowd.

"We all let you think so anyway," Chris joked. "Anyway, we were at the Penny, _of course_, and Holly came in and Gail just jumped right out of her seat. I didn't really think about it at the time. It wasn't until later that night that I figured out that Gail Peck, my ex-girlfriend mind you, was kinda into the doc…"

* * *

"The double you asked for," Chris set the drink down in front of Gail.

She wasted no time downing it and banged it back on the table. "Thank you, sir, now get me another."

"What are you looking at anyway?" Chris asked as he ducked behind her, trying to follow her eyeline. "Is that the doc you've been hanging out with so much?"

"No," Gail waved him away. "I mean, yeah, it is. But, I'm not looking at her."

"You were."

"Nope," Gail denied it. "Wasn't."

"Gail."

"Chris."

"What's going on?" Chloe asked the two as she balanced on Dov's lap. "Who are we looking at?"

"Nobody!" Gail said through her teeth. "Pipe down."

Chloe looked over her shoulder anyway, causing Dov to do the same.

"Those two ladies?" Dov asked curiously. "Are they being suspicious?"

"Yes, Dov," Gail said sarcastically. "They're laughing, oh my."

"Then why are you staring?"

"I'm studying lesbians in their natural habitat," Gail rattled off. "I'm not staring. Geez, Dov. My eyes can't scan the room? What the hell?"

"That's…." Chloe tapped Dov's shoulder. "…You know, you've met her, right?"

"Uh…no," he said, looking a bit more intently. "Should I?"

"Molly?" Chloe wondered aloud.

"Holly!" Gail snapped. She cleared her throat and tamped down the vitriol. "Holly."

"Stewart," Chloe nodded and pointed in Gail's direction, indicating she was right. "Yep, Holly Stewart. She was on one of my cases a few weeks ago. Super nice."

"Forsenic pathologist," Gail filled them in.

"Gail's doctor friend," Chris added.

"You're friends with her?" Chloe asked with her face scrunched in confusion.

"Um…yeah," Gail answered. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, nothing," Chloe said. "It's just that…well…like I said, she's super nice. And you're…super not."

Gail growled at her. Literally.

Dov turned to Gail. "So _she's_ the reason we haven't seen you around the apartment, huh?"

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"That…" Dov checked everyone else's faces to make sure he wasn't going crazy, "you…haven't been around…much."

"So," Gail shrugged.

"Oh-kay," Dov muttered.

He looked at Chris with wide eyes, but Chris was fixated on Gail.

"What's going on?" Diaz asked Gail. "Who's that with her?"

"I don't know," she said, picking up her empty shot glass and trying to eek out some more alcohol.

"She's pretty," Chloe said.

"Who?" Gail asked her pointedly.

Chloe shrugged, "Both of 'em."

"Hm," Gail said as she studied Holly's date. "What do you think she does?"

"For a living?" Chris asked. He thought about it for half a second before saying, "Earring model."

Gail fixed him with a glare, "Fuck you."

"What?" Chris lifted his hands in question. "She could be."

"I bet she's a doctor," Chloe said. "Doctors hang with doctors."

"Nah," Dov shook his head. "Writer. Probably period fiction. 18th century drama."

"You're all wrong," Gail announced. "She's a used car saleslady. I can feel the sleaze from here."

"Really?" Chris craned his neck. "Are they doing something sleazy?"

"She's touching her arm," Gail said as if that was a crime. "Why does she have to touch Holly's arm so much? What's so damn great about her arm?"

"Holly doesn't seem like she minds it," Dov commented.

"Shut up, Dov," Gail threw a loose trivia card at him. "What's she supposed to do, smack her?"

"She could."

"Holly's not rude like that," Gail informed him.

"You mean, like you?" Chris asked with a smirk.

Gail's laser stare must have alerted Holly's creeper senses because all of a sudden, her head swiveled over to their table.

"Damn," Gail said, quickly looking in the opposite direction.

"Hi!" she heard Chloe's perky voice above the din of the bar. She was fucking selling her out.

"Stop it!" Gail said, still facing the other way.

"I was just saying hi," Chloe defended herself. "She looked over here, what was I supposed to do."

"Ignore her."

"She's _your_ friend," Chloe said.

Gail looked up to Chris who was now waving himself.

"Seriously?" she asked him.

"She waved at me first," he said with a shrug.

"How are you people cops?" Gail moaned.

"Speaking of," Dov shifted Chloe to her feet, "I've got to work tomorrow."

"Me, too," Chloe nodded.

"We all do," Gail looked at them like they were nuts…and then it set in. "Oh…ew…go…ew."

She turned her attention back to all the arm touching going on in the corner. "Just lay off, arm toucher," she said under her breath.

"Hey," Chris said in response. "It's probably just someone she's friends with, Gail. No need to freak out about it."

Gail had a biting remark, but swallowed it. Then she was going to interrogate him about why in the hell she would freak out about anything related to Holly Stewart, but she could see he was already onto her. She drank the last bit of his beer as a punishment for seeing right through her and huffed, "Or _someone_ someone."

* * *

It had been while since Gail had thought about that night. So many things happened the next day that it had become a very distant memory very quickly. She could still remember that sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, though. She knew from that moment on, she never ever wanted to see Holly Stewart with someone else.

It just hurt.

Gail's eyes found Holly smiling at Chris's retelling and was reminded that she was all Gail's now.

"I think it's safe to say you had both found your _someone_ by that time, even if you didn't quite know it yet," Chris finished. "Cheers!"

She definitely had.


	3. Oliver

"Peck, Peck, Peck," Oliver shouted loudly from across the room.

Gail rolled her eyes good-naturedly at the guy who had somehow become like a second father to her. That particular feeling had snuck up on her somehow. Whether it was because of his impeccable training or his strangely wise advice, he had become a go-to guy for her.

Holly's arm snaked around over her shoulders and her brushed through Gail's arm. "Oh, yeah. It's about to get good," she said in a whispered laugh.

And Holly was right. Oliver certainly did have a way with words. He was commandeering the room with his own brand of Shaw charisma, reciting some limerick that was probably unfit for anyone before he faced the women, drink held high and said, "I'm so happy for the two of you."

Holly smiled in appreciation and she pulled Gail closer to her.

"Peck, you landed a good one there, kid," he continued.

"Don't I know it," Gail shouted to him.

"I know you do," he said back. He addressed the group, "And I've been lucky to have gotten to know both of them as individuals and together. And lemme tell you, folks, Peck and Holly are all kinds of special."

He waited out a few cat calls before going on.

"When McNally told me that we wouldn't be playing pin the thong on the stripper and instead we'd be giving speeches about these two, I thought there's just so many good stories I could tell about Gail and Holly. Celery and I have spent several lovely evenings with Holly while we all overlooked Peck's attitude."

Oliver caught Gail's eye and winked at one of his favorite trainees ever.

"Just kiddin' with ya," Oliver said when Gail frowned.

"Ha ha," Gail said.

Oliver went on with his toast, "Believe me, I had several great little Peck anecdotes to consider."

"Oh, shit," Gail said under her breath.

"In fact, my absolute favorite happened on the day they got engaged. I don't think that Holly knows this, but Gail, in all her haste to pop the question, forgot the ring. And who did she call to retrieve it? Good ol' Oliver here. I tore through Toronto to get it. Lights and sirens, even. All to save Peck's ass."

Holly's gaze snapped to Gail. "Really?" she mouthed.

Gail shook her head innocently. "I have no idea what he's talking about."

Oliver noticed and called out. "Oops. Guess she didn't tell ya, huh? I'll let her explain that one, darlin'," Oliver just laughed, knowing good and well that he had just thrown Gail under the bus.

She forgave him pretty easily considering she got the girl, anyway. "You were the only person I trusted with my super secret hiding spot," Gail informed him.

"There ya go," Oliver said, pointing to himself grandly. "Let's just say, it was there in time for Peck to slip that rock on Holly's finger."

The mention of said ring made Gail check Holly's hand for the millionth time since she had put it there so many months ago. It still sparkled as much as that night.

"I was content with telling that one, really," Oliver drew her attention. "But, I figured, I'd tell you about a certain stakeout with a certain officer instead..."

Gail winced at the memory of what she knew what coming next.

* * *

"I'm going to arrest all those losers," Gail repeated for fun. "I like arresting people. Is that wrong? I don't think so. Total power trip, though. Don't ya think?"

Oliver was biting off another piece of candy necklace with his head tilted in wonder.

"You hear me?"

"I hear ya, Peck. And yeah, total power trip, but I've got to ask," Oliver said while he crunched. "I know, you've been notoriously quiet about it, but I've got to ask while I have you trapped here."

Gail sighed, figuring on what coming next. "Just ask."

"The haircut."

Not quite what she was expecting, but Gail automatically brought her hands up to brush through it. "What about it?"

"One day, you were all long, blonde and flowy…" Oliver bit another piece of candy off. "The next day you were all Draco Malfoy."

"Real nice, Oliver," Gail said, searching around the van. "Where's my fucking hat?"

"No, no, no." Oliver tossed the hat back anyway. "I was kidding. It's great."

"Shut up." She pulled the beanie back over her head with a sharp tug. "Ass."

"It really is," he said. "Kinda suits your sassy attitude thing. When you're being the Gail Peck I know, that is."

"I'm always Gail Peck," she said quietly. After a few silent seconds, she added, "I was drinking with scissors."

"That'll do it." Oliver displayed his own balding head. "Same thing happened to me."

Gail laughed at him.

"I like it," he stated finally. There was a sincerity that Gail wasn't expecting. It rattled her for a second.

"Yeah?"

"Sure."

"I freaked out, I freaked out about that night…and you…and…just cut it all off. I…well, just...freaked out," Gail told him truthfully. "Then Holly fixed it."

"Oh," Oliver smiled knowingly at her. "Holly fixed it, huh? That girl is always around when you need something…fixed."

"Yeah," she turned away from him, trying to hide to look of adoration that was probably in them at the mere mention of Holly Stewart.

"So…" he drew out the word and made her turn back around. "What's all this about you not liking yourself? Did Holly say you were a jerk?"

"What?" Gail almost laughed. "No. Holly wouldn't…no, Oliver. Holly is great. And she seems to like me for me, which is so weird. Nobody just likes me…but she does. And she's always saying it, too. Makes me want to be better. Less…I don't know…me..."

"Hmm."

"Hmm what?" she demanded.

"She likes _you_, though," Oliver pointed out. "And if I was making bets on it, she likes all that Peck attitude and stuff that comes with you. That's sort of the whole Gail Peck package, dontcha think? It's not quite the same without the sass."

Gail dismissed that, unconvinced.

"Hey," Oliver slapped her knee. "Does she make you happy?"

Gail bit her lip, "Yeah."

"Has she asked you to change?"

"No."

"Then why are you questioning it?"

"I'm not," Gail said. "I'm just…"

"Scared?"

Gail shrugged. "Maybe."

Oliver let that stand for a little while. They shifted seats in the van again and he was staring out the window at the losers while Gail was busy taking some notes on their actions.

"It's okay to be scared," he said suddenly. "You usually are when it's the real deal…ya know? Scared of losing them, of messing it all up."

"I'm good at that," Gail admitted. "A real professional relationship fuck-up."

"Nah, you're not."

"I am."

"You aren't."

"I always find a way," Gail told him, stealing back her candy necklace and chomping on it.

"You've got a good thing going with her," Oliver said. "There'll probably be some fights. You'll have to work through some tough times, every couple does. When you find the right one, it's worth it, though. You've just got to decide that for yourself." Oliver pinned her with the question, "Is she worth it?"

* * *

"It's no secret that two of you are worthy of each other," Oliver announced. "You're magic together. Always have been. Always will be. May your marriage be as sweet as Dr. Stewart and as passionately spirited Gail Peck."

A chorus of aww's rippled through the crowd and Gail tipped her beer toward him in silent gratitude.

"I kinda love that guy," Gail said so only Holly could hear.

"I think he kinda loves you, too."

"Obviously."

"So, babe," Holly said in an octave slightly higher than normal.

Gail knew exactly what was coming next.

"What's this ring story?"


	4. Boob Job

"So basically," Gail explained, "it's all Chloe's fault. I mean, when isn't it?"

Holly tapped Gail's chin with her finger. "You're so full of shit sometimes," she said as lovingly as one can say that.

"Hey!" Gail pouted.

Holly leaned over and kissed her gently. "You are."

"You love me."

"Maybe."

"You do."

"Probably."

Gail let her lips brush against Holly's jaw. "Just say it."

"What?" Holly played dumb.

"You know what."

"Make me."

Gail would have loved to continue this little game. Mainly because it usually ended in a super hot, frenzied make out in the bathroom, but a familiar figure in the room drew away her attention. "Interesting," she said as she looked over Holly's shoulder the woman who was preparing to make the next speech.

"What?" Holly asked, still lost in Gail.

"It's Boob Job."

Holly's brows knitted in confusion, "Huh?"

Gail pointed at Holly's BFF. "Boobie von Jobberson is here."

Holly was pulled away by a grunt that proved that Lisa was indeed about to make a toast.

"Hi everyone," Lisa said with a nervous wave. "For those of you who don't know, I'm Lisa." She waited a second before clarifying, "Or Holly's friend, Boob Job. That's how you would probably know me."

There was collective 'oh' amongst the crowd. Gail had won the right to refer to her as Boob Job for all of eternity after they finally talked again after The Great Mishap of 2014. Gail reluctantly agreed to drop the Botched as a favor to Lisa's growing business venture. No need for her employees to suffer. But Boob Job was definitely a go. And Gail used it. Any and every time she introduced Lisa to anyone. Ever. It was always, 'And this is Holly's friend, Boob Job. That's what she does.'

Sometimes, it was a real bitch to be minimized to one's career.

Lisa seemed uncharacteristically nervous in this big ass group of cops and she shuffled a bit before saying, "I've never seen Holly happier than when she's with Gail. Hands down, no contest. And Gail, _oh Gail_," Lisa took a breath. "We got off to a terrible start, didn't we?"

Gail nodded at her, but tried to keep the intimidating glare off her face.

"And we rarely agree on anything."

Again, Gail agreed.

"Except that you are the absolutely best person in the world for my best friend," Lisa admitted. "And I'm sorry I didn't see it the first time I met you. I'll tell you who did know, though. Holly. Holly knew she'd marry you one day. She told me that night…"

* * *

"Hey," Lisa tried to shake Holly out of the stupor that Gail had left her in. "Holly, hey. C'mon. It's going to be fine."

Lisa had driven her back to her place without more than five words passing between them. She maneuvered her into the house and onto Holly's couch while she continued to dial Gail's number every few minutes. No answer, again. For the eleventh time, she'd gotten Gail's voicemail.

Lisa filled a glass with some water and placed it on the table before sitting next to her.

"Stunned into silence?" Lisa asked chuckling. "She's feisty. Gotta give her that." Lisa crossed her legs and mused, "But, c'mon, Hol. So dramatic. She's going to tase herself in the eye? I doubt it."

Still Holly didn't say anything.

"Holly!" Lisa snapped her fingers in front of her face.

"Stop," Holly muttered quietly. "Just stop."

"Okay," Lisa held up her hands in surrender. "I just…Holly, it's not that big a deal, okay. She'll cool off. It's not like you're in some kind of committed relationship or anything. She's just some girl."

"She's not just some girl," Holly stared at the phone she was still clutching in her hand, willing it to ring. "And…we…could have…would have been…eventually."

Lisa looked at her with some kind of faux pout, "Holly, no. She's just not…your type. I'm sorry, but no. She's nothing like Jes-"

"Don't!" Holly warned, pointing in her phone at Lisa menacingly. "Don't say what you're going to say. Don't go there. That's not fair. Don't compare them."

"I'm just saying."

"Well, don't because it doesn't matter," Holly told her. "No, Gail's not a doctor. Hell, she may not even be a lesbian. She's not particularly nice. She's definitely got issues…several. She's bitchy, and snarky, and sometimes really mean. But…holy shit, I have such a great time with her. And she's mine…eh, or…was…or maybe not mine, per se. But, we're sort of together-_ish_."

"Sort of togetherish?" Lisa repeated. "Well, that's the stuff dreams are made of."

"Shut up," Holly snarled.

"Holly."

"No, Lis-" Holly was interrupted by an incoming email that nearly jarred her right off the couch. "Shit," she said when she realized it was junk mail and not Gail branching out to a different correspondence method.

Lisa studied her friend thoroughly, not ever having seen Holly quite like this over a girl she'd met recently. "What's so special about her that I'm missing?"

"She's Gail," Holly stated like it said enough. She laughed a little the stupefied look on Lisa's face. "She's amazing. And hilarious. Gorgeous. And so, so, so _right_."

"What does that even mean?"

"It feels right with her," Holly said. "More right than anything's ever felt with anybody. Comfortable… even though maybe it shouldn't be. But, why shouldn't it be? You know? It just _is_. I like her. Maybe something more than like, even."

Lisa's mouth fell open, "Then why didn't you say that?"

"Because Gail and I haven't really discussed what we are are, why the hell would I tell you in a bar?"

"Why the hell didn't you tell me before?"

"Because!"

"Because why?"

Holly shrugged. "It's new. I thought you'd think I was crazy. You would have. You still do."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't have gone on about how it would never last if you told me you were already _crazy in love_ with her," Lisa said.

"I'm not," Holly said loudly, but unconvincingly. "_Crazy_ in love…ugh."

Lisa smiled sadly, "I think you are…I…ah, you're cute together."

"Yeah?" Holly looked hopeful.

"Fuck," Lisa sighed and shifted to face her. "I'm sorry, Holly. I don't know what I was thinking."

"That she's completely different from everyone else I've ever dated."

"Yeah."

"That was the point, though," Holly explained. "She's different."

Lisa grabbed Holly's phone right out of hand and hit redial, "Then we get her back, dammit!"

Holly waited until she heard Gail's voice telling them to leave a message before she let her head fall to the arm of the couch, "I think if I ever get her to talk to me, I'm probably going to marry her."

* * *

"Well, that's only a little embarrassing," Holly mumbled while Lisa drew to a close.

"I'd like to title that story, 'The Desperation of Holly Stewart,'" Gail mused while she took a sip of the pink fruity drink that Chloe had delivered. She turned the glass to show that 'Bride' was written on it.

"Your smugness gets less and less attractive all the time."

"Good thing the rest of me gets hotter every day, huh," Gail winked.

Holly clinked her own 'Bride' glass against Gail's, "It's a damn good thing, baby."

"Oh, shit," Gail said as she saw the next person stand.


	5. Dov

"Gail Peck is not one for being mushy," Dov Epstein said without much preamble. "She's really not the kind to dole out random niceties or unwarranted affection. She won't usually go easy on you. Doesn't declare her feelings at all..."

"He always makes me sound like a giant douche box," Gail complained to Holly.

"Unless they're feelings of anger, mistrust…" Dov continued.

Gail took another drink of Chloe-mixed concoction, "A big ol' crate of douchery."

Dov was unstoppable. "Hatred, even. She's blunt and biting and well, bitchy…"

"Seriously," Gail tapped Holly's knee under the table. "Throw something at him."

Holly picked up the newly gifted lava lamp and was just about to defend her girl's honor when Dov finally said, "But! Then Gail Peck met the love of her life."

"Abort!" Gail said.

Holly set the lamp back down and clapped loudly along with the rest of Gail's division at that climatic part of Dov's address.

"And it's not that she's a new Gail," he purposely looked her in the eye, "or even a better Gail…Now, she's a loved Gail."

Even Gail had to smile at that.

"And when you're loved the right way, even Gail Peck becomes kinda mushy." Dov said. "And it's a sight to behold, folks. The first time I ever saw it, I myself was shocked in submission…"

* * *

Dov burst in the apartment just like he did everyday. He threw his go-bag on the ground and immediately went to the fridge fishing out half-empty bottle of Gatorade.

"Hey," he heard from the other side of the couch.

"Oh," Dov said, seeing Gail for the first time. It was just her head, seemingly afloat. "I didn't know you were here yet."

"Uh huh," she nodded firmly. "Here. Right here."

After gulping down his drink, he threw it in the trash bin. "Have you thought about dinner? I'm already hungry. Chloe wants to just stay in and Chris should be around, so…"

"No, Dov," Gail shook her head. "Haven't."

"I was thinking lasagna," Dov went on. "But…oh, no. You probably can't eat that. I'll call Chris, see if he has any ideas. Then, CoD?"

"Umm," Gail looked to her right just out of the corner of her eye. "Nah. No. I won't be around. So have whatever you want."

"You won't be around?" Dov laughed. "You've only been here or at work since that thing with Hol-"

Dov abruptly stopped talking when Holly's head appeared next to Gail's "Hey Dov! Hi," Holly smiled her lopsided grin at him. "Um, do you mind?" Her finger slid up over the couch and gestured to a shirt that was hanging off a barstool.

Dov pointed to it first. "Uh, this one?"

"That's the one."

"Oh! Yeah, sure," Dov said grabbing it. He studied for a second between tossing toward them. It landed on Gail's head and Holly pulled it off. He motioned between them. "So, you two. Back on, I see. That's..."

"Ye-ah," Gail said slowly. "Do you mind?" She twisted her finger to signal for him to turn around.

"What?" he asked. Then it hit him, "Oh! Sure. Because Holly's naked."

"Not naked," Holly called out in her own defense.

"Would have been soon, though," Gail said. "So thanks for that, ass clown."

Dov heard a thud and Gail screech, "Ouch! Damn, Hols. That hurt. Ever heard of assaulting an officer?"

"Good for you two," he said, already facing the opposite wall. "That's awesome. That you're, uh…topless…together."

"I'm fully clothed," Gail clarified. "But the previous statement stands in relation to the state of my undress had you not intervened."

"Gail!" Holly admonished. "Dov, you can turn around." When he did, he saw that Holly was now standing and pulling Gail up with her. "We had plans to meet later anyway."

They never lost contact as Gail guided Holly toward the door, "Uh huh. I'll be there."

"We still have some stuff to talk about," Holly said lowly. "And some other stuff to do."

"Do we have to do the stuff in that order?"

"You're adorable," Holly said as she tugged Gail's hips toward her.

"You are."

Holly answered with a kiss that evolved into some heavy nose brushing.

Dov cleared his throat, reminding them that he was still around. Just in case they had forgotten.

"I know you're here," Gail said to him, although she was still focused on Holly.

"Sorry, Dov," Holly smiled sweetly.

"Don't apologize to him," Gail said. "There's other places he could be."

"I'm good here," Dov said. "Watching Peck in the Wild or whatever this is."

Gail distracted Holly with a quick kiss while she flipped Dov off.

"So, I'm going to be at your house in…" Gail checked her watch. "A couple of hours?"

"Yes," Holly grabbed Gail's arm and looked at her watch despite having her own. "A couple of hours."

"Seems like a long time," Gail's lips turned downward. "I might be early."

Holly's fingers trailed down Gail's arms, tickling her forearm, over her palms until she stopped at holding just her pointer finger, "You can be early if you want."

"What if," Gail pressed even closer, "I was like…two hours early?"

"I could deal with it," Holly said quickly. "In fact, I could give you a ride."

"That sounds economical."

"K," Holly tugged on Gail's t-shirt before slipping through the door. "I'll be waiting in the car."

When Gail turned to go grab some stuff, she noticed Dov still enthralled by her and Holly's conversation. She could see the whites around his eyes and his mouth was open far enough to stick in a whole bag of cheese puffs.

"What?" she asked, returning seamlessly to her trademark attitude.

"What the hell just happened to you?" he asked.

"What do you mean? Nothing. Damn, Dov."

When she returned, he still was in some kind of shock.

"We're back together," she said with nonchalance.

"I gathered."

"I'm going to stay at Holly's," she told him. Gail pointed to the bag was slung over her shoulder. "So…bye."

"Yeah," he said. "See you around."

Gail opened the door, then double backed. "Stop thinking about us."

"I'm not!" Dov choked out. "I don't! I'm…sorry."

* * *

"I think everybody at 15 knows that Gail Peck is a little prickly," Dov laughed to himself. "But every once in a while, she'll say something nice. Or she'll let something pass, which is pretty hard for her. And on really good days, when you catch her talking about Holly, she'll tell you exactly how much she loves her. Even if it means she's being a little mushy. So, thanks Holly, for loving our Gail like you do." He pointed at Gail, "And Peck. You should know that when I think about the two of you, it's mostly how lucky you are and how happy I am for the both of you. I wish you both all the happiness in the world."

"Aww," Holly smiled at his speech. "That was sweet."

"That was a good night," Gail said reminiscing.

"That _was_ a good night," Holly agreed.

She was about to suggest a replay when she felt large hands grip her shoulder.

"Hey, little sis," Steve chirped.


	6. Steve

"My baby sister, ladies and gentlemen," Steve presented Gail to the crowd. He rubbed his knuckles over her head in his annoying big brothery way and laughed her swatting him away. "Getting married, wow. Never thought I'd see the day that someone would sweep you off your feet enough to actually marry them."

He clapped Holly's back in affection.

She returned a warm smile.

"Gail, I love you and I'm proud of you," he said sincerely. "Holly, take care of her or I'll plant drugs on you and put you away for years."

Holly's eyes widened at the threat.

"Just kidding," he laughed it off.

"Hope so," Holly said only slightly worried.

Steve looked at Gail. "We are lucky, kid. I never thought we'd find anybody else willing to join our family." With a glance toward Traci, he added, "Much less two."

"It's a miracle," Gail told him. It sounded like a joke, but Steve could sense the truthfulness.

"Being a part of our family is not a day in the park," Steve said to the crowd bluntly. "It can be hassle on a great day. And for an outsider, it can be excruciating. And Holly, here, was doing an excellent job of avoiding all the muck until it walked right into her lab one day..."

* * *

Steve stuck his head through the open door of the lab and gave the frame a gentle knock as to not startle Holly as she peered through a magnifying glass and at a newly discovered body.

She looked up and waved him in. "You're working this?" she asked.

"Nope," he answered. "At least, I don't think so. I was just given a message to come down here."

"I can't imagine why," she said. "I don't have anything to report quite yet."

"Oh, I think there might be," a stern voice said.

"Damn," Steve jumped a little at his mother's sudden appearance in the lab. He was trained to never let any one sneak up on him, but Elaine Peck was like a camouflage insect. "What are you doing here?"

"Like you don't know," Elaine said, a hint of amusement evident in her tone.

"I don't know," Steve said quickly.

Holly was too busy praying that the person she thought this was really wasn't the person she knew it was to say much of anything.

"Introduce me, Steven," Elaine said, pointing to the doctor. "I'd like to meet your friend."

Steve looked his mother over for a clue as to what her angle was before doing as she asked. "Holly," he nodded toward Elaine, "this is my mother."

"Superintendent Elaine Peck," Elaine pushed her hand at Holly.

Holly looked down at her hand suspiciously and pulled off her gloves. She discarded them before shaking it. "Dr. Holly Stewart."

"Finally," Elaine grinned wryly.

"Finally?" Steve questioned, trying to elicit some information about this visit.

"Well, it's about time I met her, don't you think, Steven?"

"Not sure it was really up to you, Mother."

Elaine dismissed him with a wave of her hand. She focused back on Holly, "I'm impressed. I hope you don't mind, seeing as you're dating my child, I did a little digging. You're quite accomplished, Dr. Stewart."

"Uh," Holly wasn't sure whether to be flattered or disgusted. "Thanks…and I do mind, actually."

"Good schools, clean record, exemplary work here," Elaine went on. "Nothing to hide, so you shouldn't mind."

"Mom," Steve said. "You can't just go checking into Holly's life."

"She works for us," Elaine said. "So, I can."

"Well, thanks for your…approval?" Holly ended like a question because she wasn't quite sure what this was. "But we really didn't need it."

Elaine felt challenged by that and Holly could tell. "Confident."

"I am," Holly said.

"More so than your usual fare, Steven," Elaine said pointedly to her son. "Bring your girlfriend by for dinner this weekend."

"Uh, I don't know if that's even possible," Steve said. "She's probably working or busy…"

"Are you?" Elaine asked Holly.

"Am I?"

"Available this weekend?"

"I don't know," Holly said, not wanting to commit to anything with Elaine Peck without clearance from Gail. "I'd have to ask."

"Ask what?" Gail stomped through the door with two cups of coffee in hand. She halted suddenly when she noticed the occupants of the room.

"Dinner this weekend?" Holly said without missing a beat. "With your mother."

"What are you doing here?" Gail asked Elaine, way more interested in that than any dinner plans.

"Meeting Dr. Stewart," Elaine explained. "And you?"

"Bringing Dr. Stewart coffee," Gail said with her lip curled up. "And you?"

"You already asked that," Holly reminded Gail.

"Oh, yeah," Gail said. "Here," she handed off one cup to Holly.

"Since you're here, Gail," Elaine said. "Would you like to come to dinner as well?"

"As well?" Gail repeated. "You were inviting Holly, but not me."

"I invited Steven and Holly," Elaine gestured to the two of them. "But you're welcome to join us."

Gail was dumbfounded at that arrangement.

So was Steve.

So was Holly.

"Is Traci going?" Gail asked.

"She was also invited," Steve told Gail. "I'll have to ask her. I'm not sure she's ready for all…_this_."

"Traci?" Elaine tried to place the name. "Detective Nash?"

"If Traci goes," Gail shrugged. "I guess we can go. If it's alright with you?" she asked Holly.

"Yeah," Holly nodded. "Not exactly how I was picturing our weekend off, but…"

Steve laughed, "Me either."

"We don't have to," Gail said to Holly.

"Stop!" Elaine yelled at them. "When did I invite Detective Nash?"

"When did you invite me where?" Traci asked as she waltzed into the lab, barely paying attention. She pointed to the dead body, "What did you find out?"

"Nothing solid yet," Holly answered. She gestured toward Elaine with her head, "I was interrupted."

"Oh, oh!" Traci stilled. "Superintendent Peck, hello."

"Nash," Elaine greeted her.

"Mom has invited us to dinner this weekend," Steve piped up.

"Us?"

Steve pointed to himself, then her, then Gail, then Holly. "Us."

"Oh," Traci took a deep breath. She turned to Gail, "You're going?"

"If you do."

Traci started nodding before answering, "Yeah, okay. Dex has Leo, so…" She turned to Holly, "You, too?"

Holly smiled tightly, "Looks like it."

Now Elaine was truly confused. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Gail asked. "You invited us, we're going."

"I just came down here to meet Steve's new girlfriend and…" Elaine looked at all of them.

"Mother," Steve cleared his throat, "Not sure 'girlfriend' is exactly appropriate."

Traci tried her best not to look completely uncomfortable.

"We're just…dating?" He looked at Traci for confirmation. She nodded so he said it more confidently. "Dating."

Elaine noticed the look that passed between the two, "You two," she swung her finger between Steve and Traci.

"Yeah," Steve answered.

"Then who is she?" Elaine pointed to Holly.

"Ohhh," the realization finally hit Steve. "You got the wrong Peck, Mother."

"What does that mean?"

"Holly," Steve tapped her on the shoulder, "is Gail's girlfriend."

The room grew silent as Elaine tried to find her bearings. After a whole minute passed, she turned on her heel and fled for the exit. "You're all uninvited," they heard her say on her way out.

* * *

"Unfortunately," Steve said. "The next day we were all re-invited."

He waited for the chuckles to subside before saying, "And that's when I knew that Holly was going to fit in just fine with the Pecks. She's handled herself pretty well so far. Congratulations to her for not only landing my sister, but for charming the whole Peck clan."

Gail maneuvered slightly to kiss Holly's shoulder, "You are pretty fucking awesome."

"You think?" Holly asked her.

"I know."


	7. Traci

"Gail and Holly!" Traci said as she rose from her seat, signaling that she was about to go next.

"Whoo hoo!" Holly pumped her fist when she realized Traci was on deck.

"Are you drunk?" Gail whispered.

"Just excited," Holly answered, just a wee bit shaky. "Traci's my favorite."

"Gail, if I knew when I met you that I'd be standing here toasting you at your bachelorette party, I would have probably laughed…maybe forever," Traci started. "Because…well, who would have thought? But you've been there for me through the good times and the dark times. You've been an amazing friend. Sometimes, not too entirely pleasant, but a friend nonetheless."

"You're welcome," Gail mouthed with her usual attitude.

"And it's because of all those times you were less than pleasant, that I don't feel bad about what I'm about to do," Traci announced, earning some cheers. "You see, Gail Peck has a few secrets. Secrets that I've helped her keep."

"Oh, no," Holly chuckled good-naturedly, tipsiness shining through.

Gail automatically knew where this was going and her head dropped.

"Oh, yeah," Traci pointed at her. "Even Gail Peck, with all of her bravado, gets nervous about asking simple little questions…"

* * *

Traci stacked her next to last report on the top of her completed paperwork with a sigh. It had been a long day and she just wanted to get home. Which is probably why when she noticed a uniform carelessly depositing their body on her desk, she bit off a, "Nope."

"You don't even know what it is yet," Gail said evenly.

Traci eyed her. "I'm know I'm tired."

"It's important."

"Everything's important, Gail."

"This is really important," Gail said. She had an unusual vulnerability about her that made Traci a little curious.

"Okay," she huffed. "What?"

Instead of actually answering, Gail pulled a stack of index cards out of her the cargo pocket of her uniform pants and plopped them on Traci's desk.

"What's this?" Traci scanned them quickly.

"Possible rebuttals," Gail answered.

"Possible rebuttals to what, Gail?"

"To my proposal of marriage, Traci," Gail rolled her eyes. "What the hell do you think?"

A smile curled on Traci's lips as her eyebrow arched, "You're proposing?"

"Yes."

"To Holly?"

"No, Trace, to Vince, the homeless guy that smelled like fresh poop and a hint of three day old cake batter. We fell in love while he was locked in a holding cell. Charming guy. He collects old cardboard boxes and fathered several famous celebrities. Also, he rolled around in bakery waste last night. Obviously he makes awesome decisions."

"You probably deserve each other," Traci said, pushing the cards away.

"Yes, Holly, okay," Gail replied, pushing them back toward her friend. "I'm proposing to Holly…despite the connection I did have with Vince."

"So…." Traci thumbed through the cards again, "Gail, you do realize that it's not really an open-ended question, right?"

"Yeah," Gail nodded before saying, "I'm covering all my bases, though."

"It's going to be fine," Traci tried to assure her.

"But, just in case."

Traci grinned at her friend. Gail was swinging her feet and drumming her boots against Traci's desk nervously.

"Gail, do you love her?"

Gail answered immediately, "Yes."

"Do you want to be with her?"

"Yes," again with no hesitation.

"Does she feel the same way?"

"I'm 98 percent sure that she does," Gail answered. "I don't want to be too overconfident."

"Then, it'll be great. I promise. Just ask her. Tell her how you feel about her, be honest."

"I'm going to honestly throw up," Gail breathed in and out very purposely.

"Okay, okay, okay," Traci said. "What do you want me to do?"

"Be Holly."

"Be Holly's what?"

"No," Gail pointed toward the cards. "Just be Holly. Pretend it's a skit and you're playing a part. Or…hey! You're undercover. As Holly. You're hot, and smart, and smell vaguely like a morgue. Go!"

Traci lifted up the first card in the stack, "A skit? 'Cause this just says no."

"That one is worst case scenario," Gail said. "We'll get back to it."

"Card number two," Traci read. "I don't love you."

Gail flinched, "Wow, that hurt even coming from you. Tell me you do."

"What?"

"Tell me you love me, Traci!" Gail prompted.

"Okay," Traci rolled backwards a little, "I love you."

"Thank you," Gail released a breath.

"Wait, was that me? Or was that me being Holly?"

"I'm not sure," Gail shrugged. "But I feel better." After a second her fingers clutched the top of Traci's desk. "Shit, what if she doesn't love me?"

"That's crazy," Traci said. "I've seen the way that woman looks at you. She loves you."

"Are you sure?"

"She's suffered through enough Peck Family dinners, Gail," Traci said. "Either she loves you or she's a masochist."

"Okay," Gail steadied herself. "Card number three…Holly, will you marry me?"

Traci read the card to herself, then looked at Gail with her mouthing hanging open. "What the hell is this?"

"Just read the card."

"Gail."

"Read."

"Fine." Traci rolled her eyes. "Gail, thanks for asking, but I'm not looking to settle down. You're really amazing in bed, though, and I'd like to continue having sex with you." Traci ripped the card up. "She's not going to say that."

"I hope not, too, Trace," Gail said. "But what if she does? What do I say?"

"Just ask!" Traci ordered.

"No," Gail argued. "We haven't even gotten to 'The laws of the universe must have made me straight when you became gay' _or_ 'I have amnesia, who are you?'"

"Gail." Traci straightened the stack and threw them in her trashcan. "Holly and I…we're friends. We talk. We're dating siblings. We've bonded. Okay?"

"Yeah," Gail said quietly, wondering where this was going.

"She loves you. A lot. She wants to be with you. Like forever," Traci said slowly. "She wants to marry you and have babies with you and she wouldn't mind have a little pale-ass, translucent baby with your disdain for most humans and general apathy. She'll say yes, weirdo."

"Yeah?" Gail's smile was curling around the edges of her mouth.

"Yes."

Gail's eyebrows lifted in question, "What else do you know?"

"That you better get off my desk, Peck."

* * *

"Both of you have become so much a part of my life. And Leo's as well. I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am for you both. And…" Traci wiggled her finger showing off her own engagement ring, "Not to steal your thunder or anything," she grinned mischievously, "But, soon, we'll not only be friends, but family. I couldn't ask for two better sisters-in-law." She swooped down and picked up her glass. "You are the best! Congrats."

At some point during Traci's speech, Holly had made her way into Gail's lap and wrapped her arms around her neck. "I said yes," she reminded her fiancee.

"I know," Gail said. "I'm really happy you did."

"Me, too," Holly replied as she pressed her lips to Gail's neck. "Me, too."


	8. Chloe

The screeching of a bar room chair against the floor begged for Holly's attention which made Gail groan in dissatisfaction.

"Don't stop," she tried to urge Holly on.

"I'm not that drunk," Holly told her as she found Chloe climbing up onto the chair. "Yet."

"Hi, everyone!" Chloe shouted.

She actually got a round of "Hi Chloe," in response.

"Isn't this great?" she made a waved her hand around at the surroundings. "What a great party! For a great couple. How 'bout Gail and Holly! Yay!" Chloe clapped wildly for a while before making the motion for everyone to quiet back down. "When Andy told me that we were making speeches, I was so excited. I have some really awesome Gail and Holly stories! They're so fantastic. Aren't they?"

"We are," Holly agreed by purring into Gail's ear.

"There's so many I wanted to tell, that deserve to be told," Chloe droned on. "So I narrowed it down to three. And then I had the officers at 15 vote on their favorite…but that wasn't the one I wanted to go with so, I thought I might tell a couple mini-stories-"

"This is going to take all night," Gail muttered.

"Everybody knows the story of their engagement, by now," Chloe continued. "So I won't bore you with the details of how Oliver stopped traffic to deliver the ring or how I stopped Gail from proposing while balanced on a tree stump…"

* * *

There was nothing happening today. Chloe was shocked at how little was going on in the ever busy metropolis of Toronto this morning. She had hoped against hope that when she was assigned to Gail that it would be a non-stop, full on shift. Because otherwise, she'd have to ask.

It had taken four times. Four times that Chloe had looked over at her and smiled that annoying little grin before Gail reacted.

"What in the hell is your deal?" Gail finally asked after she couldn't take it anymore.

Chloe gripped the steering wheel harder as they traveled, "I heard something about you."

"Me?" Gail asked. "Is it that I'm a sociopath? 'Cause I started that rumor to keep people like you from starting conversations like this."

"Nope," Chloe said, still smiling. "I heard today's a big day for you."

"Every day is a big day," Gail remarked. She held up her hand and wiggled her fingers, "Every day is Gail Peck Day!"

"That's not it."

"Oh?" Gail feigned surprise, "I'm shocked."

"I heard you're popping the question," Chloe couldn't beat around the bush any longer. "That's really exciting."

"How did you know that?" Gail asked, already knowing the answer.

"Dov."

"Ass."

"He's excited for you."

"No," Gail shook her head. "There's no excitement until she accepts. Until then, we're treating it like a mission that could go sour."

"Not even you are that cynical."

Gail smiled at her, "Oh, but I am."

"So how you gonna do it?"

"No."

"C'mon, Gail."

"Not discussing this with you."

"I'm the best person to discuss this with," Chloe said.

She was probably right, but Gail still refused.

"Fine," Chloe pouted. "What's the ring look like?"

"Diamondy."

"That's real descriptive, Gail."

"Size 7 ½, round, made of precious metal," Gail deadpanned. "Happy?"

"Where you doing it?"

"The woods, Price!" Gail practically screamed. "Stop it with the questions."

"Fine," Chloe said. "Make jokes. The woods, pfft."

They turned down a side street and Gail watched the buildings fly past. She tried her best to let that last comment go and concentrate on later, but she just couldn't. It ate at her, so she asked, "Pfft?"

"Pfft," Chloe said again. "Who would propose in the the woods? People who want to be dumped. Really, though. Literally dumped in the woods. That's who."

"That's really where I'm doing it."

"Whoa, what?" Chloe asked, taking her eyes off the road for a second to look at Gail. "You're what?"

Gail frowned, "What's wrong with that?"

"It's not…" Chloe shook her head furiously. "You just can't!"

Gail was affronted, "It's where we met."

"In the woods, Gail?" Chloe was astounded. "And you met over a dead body."

"Yeah, so," Gail didn't really see the problem. "It wasn't _her_ dead body."

"It's not romantic," Chloe argued.

"It is," Gail pointed out. "It's where. we. met."

"Okay, but you could have done it anywhere else that has some kind of sentimental attachment."

Gail thought about that. "Like?"

"First date?" Chloe asked.

"Too many possibilities," Gail said. She readjusted her position in her seat, "Could be Frank's wedding, or the batting cages, a bar, or Tim Hortons. Too many."

"Okay," Chloe narrowed her eyes at Gail's uncertainty. "Uh, where'd you have your first kiss?"

"Hmm," Gail bit her lip. "Again…the wedding, an interrogation room at the station…" She clucked her tongue before saying, "Possibly Holly's bathtub. I'm not sure what would count…in a mutual kissing kind of way."

"First I love you?" Chloe asked, grasping at straws now.

"Oh," Gail nodded. "Back of a squad car. That was me…though. And I was on the phone, not sure where she was. Oh, but she said it once before that in her office after I brought by some lunch, but it came out, 'I love you-er newfound penchant for celebrating egg drop soup Wednesdays.'"

Chloe was silent.

"You know, because she didn't mean to say it, but I knew," Gail chuckled. "That and she loves Chinese. It's the Soup of the Day on Wednesdays at Kung Pow."

"I guess you could do it at Kung Pow's," Chloe suggested.

"It's not Wednesday," Gail shot back.

"Okay…where were you when you both said it to each other in the same place?" Chloe asked, getting a little irritated that she asked at all.

"Just south of Ottawa," Gail said. "We'd gone to pick up an oriental rug that she bought on eBay."

"The one in your dining room?" Chloe asked. She'd thought it was nice when she noticed it at Gail's birthday party.

"That's the one," Gail nodded. "Half the price, too."

"There you go," Chloe slapped the wheel. "Take her on a road trip!"

"A road trip to where?" Gail had already discounted this idea, but was curious as to what Chloe's suggestion might be.

"Anywhere."

"So," Gail stared at Chloe, "You're saying that I should just have Holly get in the car and drive anywhere. And at some point, I should propose during this drive."

"Well, no."

"'Cause that doesn't sound better than my plan."

"What _is_ your plan, Peck?" Chloe asked.

Gail popped her knuckles and smiled at her own genius. "I'll call her up and tell her to come out to the location, right?"

"Sure," Chloe was following along.

"Then she'll get there and I'll be there already, okay?"

"Of course."

"Then, I'll say, 'You're not allowed down there, Lunchbox,'" Gail mused.

"Why are you calling her Lunchbox?" Chloe asked.

"That's what I called her when I met her."

"Why?"

"She was carrying a lunchbox looking thingy," Gail shrugged. "It's the first thing that came to mind."

* * *

"Oh, thank god," Holly said when she saw Nick shutting Chloe's story. She was absentmindedly rubbing Gail's earlobe between her fingers, "That was the most pointless thing I've ever heard."

Gail leaned on her shoulder, "My proposal was okay, wasn't it?"

"What?" Holly asked, surprised. "Your proposal was amazing, honey."

"Really?"

"It was awesome, babe," Holly assured her. "It was beautiful and you were beautiful and I was blown away by everything you said and I felt so loved and so _in love_ with you. Yes, it was more than okay."

Gail pulled her in closer and kissed her. "Just checking," she said as she pulled away.


	9. Nick

Gail and Holly watched as Nick Collins threw Chloe over his shoulder and planted her back on the ground.

"I wasn't done!" she protested.

"You are," Dov gently guided her away. "There was a time limit."

"A time limit?"

"Thanks, Chloe," Nick said loudly, drawing applause from the gathering. "She definitely has a way with words."

"So, this is just a little awkward," Nick began. "I've known Gail Peck for a really, really long time. There's really no need to delve into our past or anything, but I'd say we were close."

"He better watch it," Holly growled just loud enough for Gail to hear.

Gail kissed her temple while Holly continued to give him a glare.

"When we were kids, she was fun and free and really lived life, you know? I think somewhere along the way, she lost that," Nick caught Gail's eye. "But, then she met Holly and there was the Gail I knew again."

"Good save, asshole," Holly said as she took a long swig of beer.

"Holly makes her happy," Nick said resolutely. "Happier than she ever was before."

"True," Gail agreed.

"And while I've known Gail for what seems like forever, I'm just starting to get to know Holly," Nick grinned. "And, believe me, she's not shy about how she feels about Gail…"

* * *

Nick squeezed between a couple other officers before turning the corner and stepping into the room. "Anything else, Detective Swarek?"

Sam looked up at him from his position on the floor. He'd been crouching over the dead body that they'd found this morning. "Don't know yet. Forensics is on the way."

"Forensics is here," Holly said as she side-stepped Nick and made her way over the corpse.

"Hey, there," Sam smiled.

"Hi, Detective," Holly returned the greeting.

"I hear congratulations is in order," Sam said with a wink.

Nick's head swiveled to the woman. He caught the glint of the diamond on her ring as she threaded a chain through it and clasped it back around her neck and then tucked it under her shirt.

"Thank you," Holly said with a huge smile before gloving up. "What do we know?"

"Vic found this morning. Marks around the neck indicate strangulation," Sam pointed out the pattern.

Nick knew he should be listening intently, but instead he was caught up in congratulations and diamond rings. He and Gail had hardly been on good terms, but he knew she was in a relationship with the forensic pathologist. He knew they had gotten pretty cozy and he was certain that she had been living with Holly now. But, engaged? That was new information.

"Can you do that, Collins?" Sam slapped him hard on the back.

"H-huh?" Nick stuttered. "Yeah, yes sir, absolutely."

"Alright," Sam said. "Let me know as soon as Dr. Stewart knows."

"Sure," Nick nodded.

"Guess you're with me today, Collins," Holly said. "Meet me back in the lab."

An hour later, Nick was staring a big hunk of dead guy while Holly studied several different bruises on his body. Every once in a while, she'd make a note or point to something and say words that sounded very scientific.

He just kept thinking about the ring that was still tucked under her shirt.

"Definitely looks like he experienced some blunt force trauma prior to death," she said to him.

"You and Gail got engaged?" he asked suddenly. Right after the words left his mouth, he wanted to catch them.

Her eyes snapped to meet his. "Yes," she answered.

The ball was already rolling, "When?"

"Friday," she replied without any further explanation.

"Congratulations," he offered.

"Thank you, Officer Collins," she said, going back to her work, "We appreciate that."

"Hm," he said. "We."

Holly slowly turned to him again, "What's that?"

"You said 'we.'" Nick pointed out. "'We appreciate that.'"

"And?"

"I'm not so sure Gail would appreciate my congratulations or even care, actually."

Holly fought not to roll her eyes, "On behalf of the both of us, thank you."

"You've probably heard some shitty things about me," Nick said.

"What I have or haven't heard about you is really not important, nor relevant to this investigation."

"I'm not trying to defend myself or anything," Nick claimed as he took a few steps toward her. "I was a really terrible boyfriend to Gail."

Holly stopped working, curiosity working at her.

"But, as bad as I might have been for her, I feel like…" Nick swallowed. "I feel like I need to know that you…aren't…bad for her."

"Because you've done such a bang-up job of looking out for her so far?" Holly asked, the anger was bubbling, he could hear it.

"I know I hurt her."

"You fucked one of her friends, Nick," Holly said.

"I fell in love," Nick tried to explain.

"It wasn't just that," Holly wasn't going to let him blame the love vapors. "You made her feel like she wasn't worth it."

"I know-"

"You don't," Holly snapped. She realized that her voice was slowly rising, so she took a deep breath. "Gail didn't deserve that. She may have done a lot of crappy things in the past, but she didn't deserve that."

"She didn't," he agreed.

"I'm not," Holly said as she directed her attention back to the body. "I'm not bad for her. I'm in love with her. I love everything about her. I even love it when I find that nasty, orange, cheesy dust on my mail because I know she's been there."

"Gross, isn't it?"

Holly bypassed the comment, "She's worth it. I would do anything and everything for her, because she's worth it. And, frankly, you're a idiot for not seeing how perfect she is."

"Before, when we were together, I saw it," Nick reflected. "Damn, she was so much fun back then. You should have seen her. Barely recognizable. Then I fucked her over and left her…I tried to get that back, but it never clicked. Whatever we had-"

"Listen," Holly pinned him with an icy stare. "I think you're probably normally a decent guy. Here's the thing, though, you've been involved with my fiancee. And I'm a lesbian, so it's not like I'm one to really hang on to something like that, but I don't want to hear about your past adventures. So, don't. You have your history and that's fine, but I don't want to hear it. Not from you. If she wants to share, then okay. But, not you. She's my fiancee. I'm going to marry her. Me. Her. So, sure, you can hang out with me and Deadio, here, and have tons of fun in the bone factory, but don't be personal about you and Gail. Got me? Cuz it's weird. And…you've slept with my fiancée. You've seen her naked and touched...and…" Holly was clearly bothered by the thought. "Just don't. Because if you do, I can't be held responsible for my actions."

"Hey, yeah, I understand, I'm sorry," Nick retreated to the far wall, "If I was in your position and I was marrying her-"

"No, no. Don't even say it, Collins," Holly warned him. "And please keep in mind that I can dissect a body."

* * *

"Needless to say," Nick lofted his beer, "I wouldn't mess with either of them. I wish you a happy and healthy life. To Gail and Holly."

"You threatened him?" Gail asked.

"I wouldn't say that."

"You threatened him," Gail stated. "I'm impressed."

Holly shrugged, "I'd kill him if I had to."


	10. Andy

"I know everybody's probably tired of hearing how great Holly and Gail are," Andy McNally said as she crawled up on a nearby table with a boobie cupcake. She licked off the icing and announced, "I'm the last one, I swear."

"Finally," Gail said. "All the goodwill in the room is making me ill."

Holly had settled back in her own seat and conned Chloe into making her some more Bride drinks. "Might be the drinks," she noted.

"Doing alright, Hol?" Gail asked her, noticing a bit of a sway.

"Great!" Holly grinned and held her drink high in the air. "These are so good!"

"Our job can be dangerous sometimes," Andy said above the crowd. "Everybody in this room knows that. It can be dangerous and scary and unforgiving. It's uncertainty everyday. The people that choose to be with us are thrust into that same uncertainty. They don't ask for it like we do, but they have to live it to live with us. I hope that all of you partners, wives, and husbands know that we don't take that lightly. That being said, sometimes the reputation of the job proceeds it and, well…"

* * *

"Why can't you find out?" Holly asked Andy for the millionth time as they hit rush hour traffic. "You could find out. Just find out!"

"Holly," Andy said in a calm voice, "I've told you what he knew. She's in the hospital. She's conscious."

Holly leg was bouncing uncontrollably as she watched the traffic inch forward. "Conscious."

"Yeah," Andy said. "An altercation. She's conscious."

"Then why isn't she answering her phone?" Holly said tapping her own against her thigh. "Or called me, at least."

"She's in the hospital," Andy answered. "Probably doing some mundane tests, so they can clear her and send her home."

Holly dialed again regardless of Andy's attempt at reassurance. "Oliver was with her?"

"Yeah," Andy said. "Oliver's with her now."

"And he said she was conscious?"

"She's okay, Holly."

"People are always okay until they're not, Andy."

"That's true," Andy acknowledged. "But Gail's Gail, right? She's okay."

Holly was really getting pissed about this traffic. "McNally, I normally wouldn't ask for special treatment, but can't we do some lights and sirens here."

Andy thought about it for about two seconds before flipping them on, "Hang on, Doc."

As soon as Andy pulled into the parking lot, Holly was out the door and running. She saw Oliver outside the building and made a beeline toward him.

"Where is she?" she asked him.

"They just released her." Oliver caught Holly, trying to make her focus on him. "She's right over there."

"Hey!" Gail called to her. "Looking for me?"

Hearing her voice finally allowed Holly to breathe. "Gail?"

"The one and only."

"Damn," Holly said as she jogged to her and collected her in a hug. "Are you alright? Baby, are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," Gail said dismissively.

"You were in the hospital."

"A visit," Gail clarified. "Short visit, no big deal."

Holly finally released Gail, only to question her. "What happened?"

"Nothing."

"What happened, Gail?" Holly asked with no room for Gail to shrug it off.

"I got into a little tiff with a hooker."

"A tiff?"

"I told her I was arresting her and she was fairly reluctant to get arrested," Gail explained. "Difference of opinion on the law."

"Did she hurt you?" Holly started to look down Gail's body for any sign of injury.

Gail was stripped down to her undershirt and there was a red stain on the sleeve.

"What's this?" Holly grabbed her sleeve. "Were you bleeding? Did she stab you?"

"No, no," Gail tapped her arm to show her she hadn't been stabbed. "Just a punch."

"Where?"

"Lip," Gail pointed to a mark on her lip where it had been busted. "Bled a lot. A bit deceptive."

Holly finally felt the rest of the tension roll out of her body. "That scared the hell out of me."

"I know," Gail pulled her in for another hug. "I told them not to call you."

"Why would you do that?" Holly squeezed tighter.

"Because it wasn't a big deal."

"Always call me!"

"Okay."

"Gail!" Holly ducked until she caught her eyes, "Always. Call. Me."

"Okay," Gail said sincerely this time.

"Promise."

"I promise!" Gail held up three fingers like a boy scout. She noticed Andy then on the periphery giving them space, "Thanks for bringing her."

"Of course," Andy said. "She was worried."

"I'm okay," Gail said to Holly. "And bonus! Oliver is letting me go home for the day."

"For good behavior," Oliver said as he ambled up to them. "Plus she took a decent right hook and still managed cuff that guy."

"Guy?" Holly screeched.

"She preferred to be called Angelina," Gail said. "Correct pronoun usage dictated 'she.'"

"Angelina was built like a truck," Oliver mumbled.

"Okay, shut up already," Gail said, pulling Holly away quickly. "We're going home."

"Let's go," Holly breathed. She wrapped her arm around Gail's shoulders and led her back toward Andy's car. "Take us home, McNally."

* * *

"You're about to be a cop's wife," Andy said to Holly as she stood atop the bar. "And that's a lot. But, you'll also inherit all of us. Good and bad."

Holly already knew the gravity of what she taking on. She knew what it was like to worry. She knew how it was to wait by the phone.

"I wanted you to know, though, that you belong here," McNally said. "You're part of this family. Part of 15. One of us."

Andy hopped down and made her way toward them. She bent down and hugged Holly before doing the same to Gail.

"I know you don't usually do this," Andy said to Gail. "But I'm conveying my happiness for you."

"Ugh," Gail bitched before returning it.


	11. Holly

Gail had only been talking to Andy for a few seconds, when she felt the absence of her soon-to-be wife.

"Where'd Holly go?" she asked Andy.

Andy laughed and wiggled a finger at a slightly inebriated Holly banging a beer bottle on the center table.

"Hey, hey, hey," Holly shouted over the party. After the people had quieted, she tipped her drink at them. "Thanks for coming. Gail and I are so happy that we've got such great friends. Right, babe?"

Gail just nodded, just a little worried about what might come out since Holly had had a few.

"And all of you have had such beautiful things to say about us," Holly smiled. "And that's great."

A round of applause started and settled.

"But," Holly said, "I've heard the phrase, 'then Gail met Holly' several times tonight. And I'm so thankful that she did. And I'm glad that you all think that we belong together and all of that stuff…but few of you know who I was before Gail."

Gail sat back in her chair, dying to hear what Holly would say next.

"I was a workaholic. I hadn't had a vacation in years. I'd published seven articles in six months because I had no life. I was a nerd. Gail likes to point out that I still am, but then I was a bored, unhappy nerd," Holly explained. "And then this woman with all this huge intensity and humor and determination just fell into my life and I was immediately smitten." She locked eyes with Gail, "I may have been in love by the end of the first day…"

* * *

"I mean I hate people," Gail said as she slipped on her coat and headed for the exit.

Holly couldn't help but grin at her. She certainly was interesting.

"You hate people?" Holly asked. "That can't be conducive to your chosen profession."

Gail looked her over as she punched the elevator button, "Most people. Some people are okay. Like small children…quiet ones."

"That's a very small part of the population, Officer."

"People that don't annoy me," Gail said as the car stopped and the doors opened. "And don't smell like a lab rat. That's the first requirement, actually."

Holly sniffed herself, "It's been worse."

"I wouldn't admit that." Gail stepped in the elevator and punched the the light for the first floor, "One?"

"Yep."

They rode down in silence until Gail chanced a look, "So what do lesbian dead people doctors do for fun at the end of the day?"

"Go home, have a drink, and catch the end of the Jays game before bed," Holly answered truthfully.

"Wow," Gail rolled her eyes. "Slow down, there."

"I never said it was exciting," Holly told her.

When the elevator came to a stop, Gail exited hastily. She walked ahead toward the glass doors of the building, but then held the door for Holly. "We all usually go down to this bar, The Penny. You ever heard of it?"

"Sure," Holly nodded. "I've heard it mentioned before, never been."

"You should," Gail said. "Drop in sometime. Company's kind of shit, but drinks are cheap."

"Maybe I will."

"Yeah?" Gail smiled at that. She stopped suddenly, "Hey, you have your phone on you?"

Holly reached in her pocket and handed it over without question. Gail typed in her number quickly and handed it back.

"In case you ever want to go," Gail said. "You can call…or text me. I'm under Peck in there. That's me."

Holly nearly laughed, "I remember. How could I forget?"

"You won't," Gail said confidently. "I'm there a lot of nights, though. So…"

"Okay," Holly said, slipping the phone back in her pocket. She hooked her thumb behind her, "Car's that way."

"Yeah, yeah," Gail nodded. She pointed to her squad car that was parked in front, "I'm here."

"It was an interesting day, Officer…Peck," Holly called as she walked away.

"Never a dull moment with me, Doctor," Gail replied.

* * *

"Hasn't been a dull moment yet," Holly said. "Not with Gail. She's the kind of woman that cuts you very little slack and calls you on your shit. She's tough in just about every way you can be. She's not afraid of many things or places. All that is true about Gail," Holly said. "But she's also the woman that still celebrates our monthly anniversaries even though we've graduated to years now. She lets me read my journal articles to her even though she couldn't care less. She'll even go catch a Jays game with me even though she just learned a few nights ago that hitting for the cycle does not mean starting your period."

"That one is very confusing," Gail complained.

"So, I've probably taught her a few things about medical jurisprudence. She's definitely picked up a few baseball terms. She swears that she's caught on to lesbian connectivity," Holly smiled. "But, in return for all that, she's taught me about love. And courage. And second chances. So…here's to the woman that will be my wife in less than two weeks. I hope I make you as happy as you've already made me."


End file.
